


Leaves

by reclaiming_erebor



Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Established Relationship, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:22:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27084061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reclaiming_erebor/pseuds/reclaiming_erebor
Summary: Thorin has to rake up the leaves on the lawn. Frodo, Fíli, and Kíli just want to play.
Relationships: Bilbo Baggins/Thorin Oakenshield
Comments: 3
Kudos: 57





	Leaves

“Frodo, Fíli, and Kíli want to help you,” Bilbo said.

“Oh, really?” Thorin laughed. “I’m sure they’ll be very helpful, then.” He smiled down at Bilbo, whose face was obscured by a large orange scarf.

It was a windy day in late October. The leaves on the trees in their neighborhood had melded into lovely hues of orange and yellow as summer waned and autumn came in full force, but now they were starting to shed those leaves en masse. The wind helped scatter them across the lawn and it had gotten out of hand so quickly that Bilbo couldn’t see most of the grassy lawn beneath the leaves. This was happened a lot around this time of year, so Thorin would always volunteer to rake up the leaves. Thorin was usually adamant about doing it himself, so Bilbo let him. Bilbo had more fun sitting on the porch and watching Thorin do the hard work.

On this morning, Dís had dropped Fíli and Kíli off at Bilbo and Thorin’s house so she could run some errands during the day. Frodo loved having Fíli and Kíli over, and Bilbo and Thorin loved hosting them. The challenge of having the three boys all under the same roof was that they always managed to find new ways to make trouble when they were all together. It was the perfect, unpredictable storm. Bilbo and Thorin both knew that the boys claiming they wanted to help didn’t meant they would actually help, but Bilbo and Thorin were still curious what they had in store with this proposition of “helping.” If nothing else, they would provide some extra entertainment for Bilbo.

Bilbo and Thorin were standing out on the porch, where there was little protection from the wind. Their hair blew in whichever direction the wind pleased and neither man tried to fight it.

“I’ll go get them,” Bilbo said, turning toward the front door. Once inside he went straight for the living room where he knew the boys were all playing together on the floor.

“Uncle Thorin says you can help him,” Bilbo said, popping his head into the living room. All three boys perked up. “Make sure your shoes are on before you come outside!” Kíli jumped up and ran for Bilbo right away. Fíli and Frodo were not far behind him.

Outside, Thorin already began raking up the leaves. Bilbo watched the boys chase after their uncle. Thorin stopped what he was doing to talk to them and showed them to the shed where there were a few more rakes—they had purchased these smaller ones specifically for the boys last fall—and each boy took one.

As Thorin helped the boys get started, Bilbo slipped back into the house to make himself some tea. This was part of the full routine he established for days like this: while Thorin did yard work, Bilbo would prepare a steaming mug of tea for himself to sip on while he watched his husband from the porch. The tea would be especially nice on this day. It would warm him up against the nippy air brought on by the wind chill. Once the tea was ready and he poured it into his favorite mug, Bilbo came back outside to see that the boys had already abandoned the smaller rakes in a heap not far from the shed. They had pretended to help for longer than Bilbo would have initially guessed they would. He thought they wouldn’t even take the rakes and would instead defiantly tell Thorin that they only wanted to play.

Bilbo settled onto the steps of the porch and sipped at his tea. The warming effect of the tea soothed his whole body. It was a comforting contrast to the chill of the wooden steps on the porch. He watched his husband across the yard rake up the leaves around him, doing his best against the wind to organize them into an at least somewhat cohesive pile. The wind refused to cooperate, making the effort mostly futile.

On the other hand, Fíli, Kíli, and Frodo embraced the wind. The wind blew many of the leaves around into designs on the ground. The boys were jumping from one leaf to the next, and they all took caution to avoid landing on the ground underneath. From what Bilbo observed, the rules of this game seemed to be simple: they had to stay on the leaves, jumping from one leaf to the next, and they would lose if they landed on the grass instead. The sound of crunching leaves, one after another after another, filled the air. It was a constant and familiar sound. It was the sound of the boys having fun.

Once Thorin finally got the first pile of leaves under control against the wind, he looked over to Bilbo and they smiled at each other from across the lawn. Both of them were happy to see that the boys were enjoying themselves.

Bilbo was glad that winter was still some weeks away. This was his favorite time of year to play with his nephews outside, so he was glad he could take advantage of it while he still could before the snow began to set in. The autumnal landscape was breathtaking and diverse as the leaves changed into various hues of red, orange, and yellow. The different shades of the leaves emphasized the subtle differences between all of the trees. Autumn embodied all the beauty of nature without as much pollen in the air as there was when all the plants bloomed to life. As much as Bilbo loved spring and summer, his allergies usually made it difficult for him to stay outside too long on the days when the pollen count was high. There seemed to more days like that every year, which only made him appreciate autumn even more.

Thorin moved to rake the next pile of leaves farther away from the boys, leaving them to their antics with the remaining leaves for a little while longer. As time went on, though, the sound of leaves crunching diminished as the boys exhausted all of the leaves around them. There were only so many times they could step on the leaves and relish that satisfying sound under their shoes.

The wind began to die down, giving Thorin an easier time raking the remaining leaves. A gentle breeze persisted, but it was nowhere near strong enough to upend Thorin’s newly-organized pile. When he finished his work on the part of the lawn, Thorin moved to the other side of the lawn where the boys were still running around. Bilbo could tell they were starting to get tired, not that they would alert their uncles to that.

“Come on, now, let me rake these leaves up,” Thorin said to the boys, trying to hide a smile. He wanted to come off as more authoritative and less like he was having just as much fun as them, which Bilbo could tell he was. But he did need to rake up these last leaves and he tried to convey this.

“But we’re not done yet!” Frodo protested.

“Fine, you all can jump on one more leaf each, but then it’s time to let me finish. How does that sound?” The boys agreed and they each took their turn. “Good, now go join your Uncle Bilbo. I’ll be done soon.”

The boys ran over to Bilbo as he sipped the last bit of tea. He set the mug on the small table on the porch and then made room on the steps so all three of the boys could sit with him as they watched Thorin finish raking the remaining leaves scattered across the lawn. When Thorin was done he brought each of the gathered piles to the compost bin by the garage. He put his rake back in the shed and made sure he didn’t forget about the smaller rake his nephews had abandoned.

Bilbo and the boys all watched Thorin until he finished and came over to the porch to join the others. Bilbo rose, taking care to stand on the step so he would be a little closer to Thorin’s height, and he took Thorin’s hands. He heard the children’s cries of “Ew!” behind them and then the sound of the front door opening and closing as they all ran back into the house so they wouldn’t have to risk seeing their uncles kiss. They were all young—Fíli was the oldest at seven—so they were at the age where they thought any display of affection was disgusting. Bilbo and Thorin were used to it.

“Thanks for all your hard work,” Bilbo said, taking a step closer to Thorin. They were so close that the tips of their noses brushed against each other. Thorin closed the gap with a simple kiss. “Though you ought to take a shower before your sister comes over to pick up the boys. I don’t care if you’re covered in sweat, but since Dís is staying for dinner, I’m sure she wouldn’t hold back in teasing you if you came to dinner all sweaty.”

Thorin chuckled. “Fair enough,” he said, planting another kiss on Bilbo’s lips before moving past Bilbo so he could slip into the house. Bilbo stayed outside, appreciating the chilling, gentle breeze for a moment longer before turning back and going into the house where he could warm up.

Bilbo went back into the house and left the mug in the sink. He was going to come back in a bit to prepare dinner, so he would take care of it then. He made his way to the living room, where Fíli, Kíli, and Frodo were playing again. They had picked up with their toys right where they left off before they had gone outside as if there had been no interruption at all.

Bilbo had left his phone on the coffee table and so he picked it up to check his texts. There was a new text from Dís a couple minutes ago.

_Just finished everything I needed to do today. A bit early, too! I’m leaving in a few minutes so I’ll see you in a bit._

Bilbo responded with a simple, _Great, see you soon!_ Once he saw that the message went through, he locked his phone and set it back onto the coffee table and watched the boys play for several minutes to make sure they didn’t get carried away and try to start any trouble.

Thorin came down the stairs and joined them in the living room. He had put on a fresh change of clothes. His shirt and pants were the same shade of black that matched most of his wardrobe. His wet hair fell around his face in gentle ringlets that suited the shape of his face. Bilbo found him the most beautiful in the simple little moments like these. Bilbo gazed into his eyes as he sat down on the couch, his eyes speaking the volumes that he did not want to say out loud in front of the boys.  
“Your sister’s coming soon,” Bilbo said, breaking the momentary silence before it started to drag on for too long.

“Do you want to get started on dinner, then?” Thorin asked. “I can look after the boys now.”

“That would be nice.” Bilbo smiled, sitting still to savor this moment for a second longer, before rising and heading towards the kitchen. He planned to prepare a large pot of soup for everyone using some leftover chicken in the fridge and a bunch of carrots and potatoes that would go bad if he didn’t use them soon.

Bilbo laid out all the ingredients on the counter. He set the potatoes and carrots, along with the cutting board and knife, in front of him since he was going to use those first. He was nearly finished cutting up the carrots by the time the doorbell rang. Dís didn’t live too far away, so it was right about time for her arrival.

Thorin was so quick to answer the door that Bilbo could hear Dís and Thorin’s voices echoing from the entryway by the time he set the knife down.

A few seconds later, Dís popped her head into the kitchen and Thorin followed.

“Hey, Dís,” Bilbo said. He finished cutting up the carrots, so he pushed them to the side of the cutting board and then began dicing the potatoes.

“Hey, Bilbo,” Dís said. “Thanks for watching the boys. I hope they weren’t too much trouble.”

“You know how they are,” Bilbo said. “They’re always a lot of trouble.” They all laughed. “But Thorin and I are always happy to have them over. They weren’t any more trouble than usual.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m looking forward to this soup you’re making for us. I’m sure it’s going to be amazing.”

“Oh, it’s nothing much. It’s just a simple soup since it was starting to get colder outside today, especially with the wind picking up.”

“You’re so humble, you know,” Dís went on. “You’re a brilliant cook and I’m sure this ‘simple’ soup will brilliant as usual. My brother better remind you that you’re such an incredible cook regularly.”

“Don’t worry, I only do it every single day,” Thorin smirked, making sure he met Bilbo’s eyes as he spoke. Bilbo blushed. They had been together for six years—he always remembered the day of their first date because it was so close to Fíli’s first birthday—but six years had not changed the way Bilbo’s heart skipped a beat whenever Thorin flattered him like this.

Bilbo tried not to let himself get too carried away by Thorin’s flattery. “If you two are done discussing the meal I haven’t even made yet,” he said, turning away from his husband and sister-in-law so he could start dicing the remaining vegetables, “would you be willing to help by setting the table? It’s going to be at least half an hour before the soup is done, but it’d be a big help.”

“Of course,” Thorin and Dís said at the same time. They moved to the cabinet and pulled out enough bowls and utensils for everyone. They divided the work of bringing everything to the dining room table—it was only a few feet away since the dining room was attached to the kitchen—and arranged everything on the table so it would be ready for the meal. In the meantime, Bilbo threw all the ingredients into the pot and set the stove to a low simmer.

Fíli, Kíli, and Frodo must have trailed into the dining room at some point not long after Dís arrived because he could hear her talking to her sons while setting the table. But Bilbo didn’t know when exactly they came in because he hadn’t paid attention to them. They were at the far side of the dining room talking amongst themselves, likely continuing a variation of the game they had been playing in the living room. They remained in that corner talking amongst themselves while the adults gathered in the kitchen and talked about their days.

Bilbo opened a bottle of white wine while Thorin filled his sister in about her sons’ antics. After that Dís recounted a story of a particularly obnoxious customer she witnessed at the grocery store earlier that day. Bilbo kept an eye on the pot for the duration of the conversation, stepping aside every now and then to stir the soup. Once the vegetables were cooked through, Bilbo pulled the leftover chicken out of the fridge and stirred it in.

A few minutes later, Bilbo seasoned the soup and, after a quick tasting, decided it was ready. Dís left the kitchen to make sure the boys would be ready to eat. Thorin stayed in the kitchen to help Bilbo carry out the soup and bread.

Dinner was as merry an affair as Bilbo could hope for. His soup was a hit among everyone, so much so that they ate every last bit of it, ensuring there would be none leftover for the next day. Dís and Thorin made sure to remind Bilbo that he was a great cook. The meal was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation. It was simple moments like this that reminded of why Bilbo loved this time of year. It was a time of cozy clothes, hearty food, and cheerful times with his family.


End file.
